Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Coda 25

Rick originally
had the day off. So had Keir, but the resigning and then unresigning had cost
him his place on the holiday roster, so Rick gave up his spot too. At least
that way they could share the misery.

And it was miserable.

It started out
mildly miserable, dragging their weary asses out of bed and into the station.
The final day of four twelve-hour shifts. But things cheered up a little there.
Some of the guys and gals had brought in cookies and cakes and fudge. There was
decent coffee for once. And Santa gag gifts. Rick got a mug that said Good Cop.
Keir winked at Rick and whispered, “Does that mean I can be Bad Cop tonight?”

It was all talk
anyway. They knew they were both going to be too tired to do more than fall
into bed and kiss each other goodnight.

So much for the
good times. The day turned seriously miserable with a domestic dispute that
deteriorated into a homicide. Deke Johnson, 45, violated his restraining order
and shot his ex-wife Harriet, 40, before their three kids and the family dog — right
in front of the Christmas tree, no less.

The sad truth was,
in addition to a rise in traffic accidents, family disputes and child custody
battles, violent crime spiked around the holidays. Not just robberies and home
invasions, but good old-fashioned homicide. Add a little melancholy and a lot
of booze to the seasonal punch, and you had a recipe for one hellish witch’s
brew. And the City of Angels had a
bad habit of getting drunk off her ass every Christmas.

Johnson didn’t
deny murdering his wife, and he didn’t seem to care about being arrested. He
did try twice to break free so he could explain to his hysterical kids why he’d
had to shoot Mommy. The second time, Rick, who was royally pissed off at the
idea of some self-centered asshole killing his ex in front of his own kids,
knocked him down, and Keir leaped to intervene. The uniforms pretended not to see
anything, and Keir hustled Rick outside.

The night was cold
and smelled of smog and rain and eucalyptus. They walked past the crowd of
neighbors and sightseers and crime scene technicians, around the side of the
house, stepping over the dog bowls and tricycles.

Rick leaned back
against the dripping siding and drew a couple of deep breaths.

Keir kept one eye
on Rick and one eye on the wet, shining walkway, to make sure they were not
disturbed. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Rick knew exactly what he
was thinking, and he knew exactly how Rick felt.

“Sorry,” Rick said
finally.

Keir shrugged.
“It’s a fucked up night. Even if it is Christmas.”

“Sometimes it
feels like we’re just garbage men. We’re just here to clean up the mess.”

It was startling
to hear that from Rick. Keir was usually the one the job got to. He said
firmly, “No way. We’re the guardians at the gate. We’re keeping the wild things
out tonight.” Not all the wild things, but they were only human. They did what
they could. He hooked his arm around Rick’s neck and brought their heads close
together. Their warm breath mingled. Keir said softly, “And tomorrow we start
three days off.”

Rick nodded.

The rest of their
shift was mostly uneventful. It was ten o’clock
by the time they stopped off to eat on their way home. A Chinese Restaurant in
Van Nuys. The place was dimly lit — emergency and Christmas lights only — and
nearly deserted. Christmas music was playing. They got a booth way in the back.
They ordered their dinner and then quietly, circumspectly, held hands across
the table until the waitress started down the aisle with their meals. When she
left, they went back to holding hands.

Every time Keir
looked across the table, Rick’s gaze met his, and they smiled tiredly at each
other. Not the best Christmas ever. But they were together and somehow that
went a long way toward keeping it from being the worst Christmas ever.

Rick broke open
his fortune cookie, read the little piece of paper, and laughed. He nudged
Keir’s foot under the table.

Not the best
Christmas ever. But looking good for the best day after Christmas ever.

I love these two and their story. Absolutely one of my favorite rereads! So pleased to see they made it back OK and are together. Thank you, Josh, for another holiday prezzie, even though you were a tease about the fortune cookie. :)

And have been meaning to add: you always find the best holiday pics; that Chrstmas bow is gorgeous!

I just wanted to say thank you for a chance to see Rick and Keir working together on this difficult Christmas. The guardians don't always get to see storybook endings on the job. Nice to see them find one at home. (and what was in that fortune?)

Josh, I loved Rick and Keir in "In Sunshine or in Shadow" ( I always hear "Danny Boy" when I say or type the title of the story), so thanks for the follow up with the coda. On a lighter note, the coda could be the basis for a joke..."Two Irish cops walk into a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day..." Maybe the fortune is the punch line?

In Sunshine or In Shadow is my favourite short story of yours. I absolutely adored it. And I just listened to the audio version a few days ago, so this coda was a WONDERFUL surprise. I would love to see more of them, but you left it at a wonderful place with this coda. Thank you so much and a very happy holidays to you Josh.

Loved reading all the stolen moments and the private jokes Keir and Rick shared even when the day was miserable. Glad to see everything works out fine for them. Theirs is one of my favorite of In sunshine or in shadow.

Hope the boys from Out of the Blue are fine too. They are the ones I worry the most. (A coda, please? ;p)

Josh, just downloaded your Christmas Coda e-book and I checked - no coda for Out of the Blue. You have to tell us they are safe at a time when every day hundreds or even thousands died! (hands clasp at prayer)

Hi Josh, thank you for all the Christmas codas :) I must admit there are some couples I had forgotten about, but it just prompted me to go back and read their stories!Merry Christmas to you and your family.

About Me

Josh Lanyon is the author of over sixty titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure and unapologetic man-on-man romance.
Her work has been translated into eleven languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first male/male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan's annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English Series was awarded All Time Favorite Male Male Couple in the 2nd Annual contest held by the 20,000+ Goodreads M/M Group. Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads Favorite M/M Author Lifetime Achievement award.